The Song of Salvation (4)

Israel, My first-born Son, has committed two evils: he has for sake in Me, the fountain of the water of life, & dug for himself a broken cistern. Upon the Cross has he crucified Me, but asked for Barabbas & let him go. Heaven at this was amazed the sun hit its raise; yet thou, O Israel, wast not ashamed, but hast delivered Me to death. Forgive them, Holy Father, for they do not know what they have done.

Every member of Thy holy body endured dishonor for our sakes: Thy head, the horns: Thy face, the spitting; Thy cheeks, the buffeting; Thy mouth, the taste of gall mingled with vinegar; Thine ears, the impious blasphemies; Thy back, discouraging & Thy hand, the reed; Thy whole body, the stretching on the Cross; Thy limbs, the nails; & Thy side, the spear. Thou hast suffered for us & by Thy Passion set us free from passion; in loving self-abasement Thou hast stooped down to us & raised us up: O Savior Almighty, have mercy on us.

Seeing Thee crucified, O Christ, the whole creation trembled. The foundations of the earth shook with fear at Thy power. For when Thou wast raised up today, the people of the Hebrews was destroyed. The veil of the temple was rent in twain, the graves were opened, & the dead rose from the tombs. When the Centurion saw the wonder, he was filled with dread. And Thy mother, standing by Thee, cried with a mother sorrow: ‘How shall I not lament & strike my breasts, seeing Thee stripped naked & hung upon the wood as one condemned?’ Thou wast crucified & buried, & Thou hast risen from the dead: O Lord, glory to Thee.

They stripped Me of My garments & clothed Me in a scarlet robe; they set a crown of thorns upon My head & placed a read in My right hand, that I may break them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.

I gave My back to scourging; I did not turn away My face from spitting; I stood before the judgment-seat of Pilate, & endured the Cross for the salvation of the world.

10) Mark 15:43-47

Here is said the Small Doxology (shown below) along with the Litany of Fervent Intercession:
Glory to God in the Highest, & on earth peace, good will among men.

We hymn thee, we bless thee, we worship thee, we glorify thee, we give thanks unto thee for thy great glory. Lord King, heavenly God, Father Almighty; O Lord, the only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ; & the Holy Spirit. Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, that takest away the sin of the world, have mercy on us, Thou that takest away the sins of the world. Receive our prayer, Thou that sittest at the right hand of the Father, & have mercy on us. For Thou only art holy, Thou only art the Lord, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father. Amen.

Every day will I bless thee, & praise thy name forever; yea, forever & ever. Lord, Thou hast been our refuge from generation to generation. I said: Lord, be merciful unto me; heal my soul, for I have sinned against thee. Lord, I have fled unto thee; teach me to do thy will, for Thou art my God. For with thee is the fountain of life; in thy light shall we see light. O continue thy mercy unto them that know thee.

Thy mercy, O Lord, endureth forever. O despise not the works of thy hands. To thee belongeth worship, to thee belongeth praise, to thee belongeth glory to the Father & to the Son & to the Holy Spirit, now & ever, & unto ages of ages. Amen.

11) John 19:38-42

Aposticha: The whole creation was changed by fear, when it saw Thee, O Christ, hanging on the Cross. The sun was darkened & the foundations of the earth were shaken; all things suffered with the Creator of all. Of Thine own will Thou hast endured this for our sakes: O Lord, glory to Thee.

They parted My garments among them, & cast lots upon My vesture.

Why does the impious & transgressing people imagine vain things? Why have they condemned to death the Life of all? O mighty wonder! The Creator of the world is delivered into the hands of lawless men, & He who loves mankind is raised upon the Cross, that He may free the prisoners in hell, who cry: O long-suffering Lord, glory to Thee.

They gave Me gall to eat: & in my thirst they gave Me vinegar to drink.

Today the most pure Virgin saw Thee hanging on the Cross, O Word; & with a mother’s love she wept & bitterly her heart was wounded. She groaned in and, anguish from the depths of her soul, & in her grief she struck her face & tore her hair. And, beating her breast, she cried lamenting: ‘Woe is me, my divine Child! Woe is me, Thou Light of the world! Why dost Thou vanish from my sight, O Lamb of God?’ Then the host of angels were seized with trembling, & they said: ‘O Lord beyond our understanding, glory to Thee.’

God is our King before the ages: He has worked salvation in the midst of the earth.

Seeing Thee hanging on the Cross, O Christ the Creator & God of all, bitterly Thy virgin mother cried: ‘O my Son, where is the beauty of Thy form? I cannot bear to look upon Thee crucified & justly. Make haste, then, to arise, that I too may see Thy resurrection on the third day from the dead.’

Lord, when Thou hast ascended on the Cross, fear & trembling seized all the creation. Thou hast not suffered the earth to swallow those that crucified Thee; but Thou hast commanded hell to render up its prisoners, for the regeneration of mortal men. Judge of the living & the dead, Thou hast come to bring, not death, but life. O Lord who lovest mankind, glory to Thee.

Already the unjust judges have dipped their pens & ink, & Jesus is sentenced & condemned to the Cross; the creation suffers, seeing the Lord crucified. O loving Master, who in Thy bodily nature has suffered for my sake, glory to Thee.

12) Matthew 27:62-66

Here the Trisagion prayers & Lord’s Prayer are read along with the following troparion:

Thou hast redeemed us from the curse of the Law by Thy precious blood: nailed to the Cross & pierced by the spear, Thou hast poured forth immortality upon mankind. O our Savior, glory be to Thee.

(Dismissal by the Priest): May He who endured spitting & scourging & blows, the Cross & death, for the salvation of the world, Christ our true God, through the prayers of His most pure mother, our holy & God-bearing fathers & all the Saints, have mercy on us & save us.